Calm Before the Storm
by lilnewsie77
Summary: Samantha has nothing left so she decides to join the crew of the surprise as a servant. She is met with battles, war, drama, and a romance with everyone's favorite midshipman. Will she survive the voyage?
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first Master and Commander fanfic ever so please be nice!  It's just something I'm trying so let me know if you like it by reviewing!!

Samantha looked up at the vast ship before her, The Surprise, and sighed. So this was to be her home for the next year. It was a beautifully crafted ship. It looked reasonably aged but very strong and capable.

Samantha was to be the new servant of sorts. Simply put, she brought the captain tea and served dinner to the men. She was a bit worried to say the least. She had heard nasty stories from the ladies who came by for tea about the "brutes" that sailors were. Of course, that was all before her mother had died of cholera, leaving Sam penniless and alone. Sam's father had been the captain of "The Voyager", a ship that had been a major part of Britain's fleet during the wars that were going on. However, The Voyager had been lost at sea the year before.

So that had left Sam to try and find a job and a place to stay. It had been quite difficult until an old family friend had mentioned a ship that needed a servant. Sailors were superstitious of women on board but apparently The Surprise had been so desperate, they hired her on the spot.

Sam's curly brown hair whipped across her face in the wind as her hazel eyes stared out at the sparkling ocean. She was wearing a deep red dress with a corset that was extremely uncomfortable. She was very short but the small black heels she had on added about an inch to her height. She watched as men worked on the ships, pulling up masts and bringing up or lowering anchors.

Sam gasped and turned around as she felt a hand on her shoulder and was met with a pair of icy blue eyes. She stumbled backwards but felt him grab her arm, keeping her from falling.

"I apologize if I've scared you, ma'am."

He was a few inches taller than her and had shaggy brown hair that fell into those beautiful eyes. Sam couldn't help but stare. He was dressed as a midshipman and she assumed he belonged on one of the ships in the harbor.

"I'm Peter Calamy, and you are?"

"I…I…I'm Samantha."

"Oh! You must be the new helper!"

"You work on The Surprise?"

He nodded. "Finest ship on the sea, as Lucky Jack likes to say."

"Lucky Jack?" He laughed.

"The captain. Jack Aubrey. You'll like him."

Samantha nodded. So this boy worked on the ship as well? This could be interesting…

"Well," he held out his hand, "follow me, miss, and I'll accompany you onto the ship."

She took the hand he had offered and he pulled her through the crowded dock. She took in the sights and sounds all at once, the yelling of the men and women trying to sell their wares, the call of the seagulls, the young children playing and running. There was so much to see but so little time to see it!

Her dress billowing behind her, Sam jogged behind Peter, bumping into people and trying to hold up her skirts. Peter finally stopped right before the edge of the dock and pulled her beside him. He took her bag from her hand and she looked at him questioningly.

"Here, it's a bit of a jump."

She didn't understand what he was saying until she realized that she had to get into a small boat to reach the ship. It was a few feet in front of the dock and it was "a bit of a jump" as he put it.

"Here," he handed her bag back to her, "I'll jump on, you can throw me your bag, and then I'll help you over."

She watched as he leapt nimbly over the churning water and into the dingy.

"Master Calamy!" someone yelled from behind Sam. She turned around to see a younger boy running down the dock. He was dressed similarly to Peter but had a messy mop of blonde, curly hair on his head. As he got closer, Sam decided he looked only a few years younger and had blue eyes like Peter's.

"Blakeney! Where have you been? I've been looking for you all afternoon! I was afraid you were going to miss the ship!"

"Sorry, Peter. My mother wanted to say goodbye again. And you know how she is with goodbyes…"

Both boys rolled their eyes and Sam couldn't help but laugh. It was then that it seemed Blakeney finally realized that there was someone else with them.

"And who are you, Miss?"

"I'm Samantha." Sam curtseyed, as was her custom. Blakeney laughed and Sam became annoyed. Blakeney noticed and immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry, Miss. I'm just not used to women curtseying. Well…actually…I'm not too used to women at all."

"Why not?"

"I've lived on this ship basically since I was eight years old. And women usually don't come onto ships. Stupid superstitions keep the sailors scared."

"Well, maybe I can change that."

Blakeney laughed, then they both heard someone clearing his throat. Peter was still standing on the boat as it rocked back and forth in the water.

"We need to get on the ship soon or they'll leave without us!" he said practically. He wasn't being whiny, he was just being smart. Sam threw him her bag and he caught it and placed it neatly under a seat. He then held his arms out towards her.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you."

To be perfectly honest, she was a bit nervous around the water but she jumped anyways. She made it but needed Peter to stop her from falling backwards.

"Thank you," she smiled at him before sitting herself down on the wooden seat.

Blakeney then jumped onto the boat and sat next to her. Peter grabbed the oars and began rowing them towards the ship.

The sea breeze whipped around her and, after months of chaos and confusion, Sam finally felt at peace. She was beginning to like the ocean.

They reached the ship and politely, Blakeney and Peter climbed up first. Samantha was then helped by a few of the men, who grabbed her arms and pulled her up into the ship. Peter then put her bag in her hands and introduced her to the men on board.

"Alright, this is masters Boyle, Hollom, Nagle, and Warley. Men, this is Samantha."

They all nodded to her and smiled. They then resumed their work putting the mast up and securing the ropes. Samantha watched all this with interest as Peter spoke with another officer. They then walked towards her.

"Hullo, Miss, I'm Lieutenant Pullings. I'll escort you to the Captain's quarters." He bowed then gestured for her to follow him. Sam waved goodbye to Peter and followed Pullings down the stairs and into the lower deck. They passed through the sailor's hammocks and the kitchen before reaching a large wooden door. Pullings knocked and Sam heard a curt "come in".

They entered a reasonably large room filled with windows looking out at the sea. There was a large mahogany desk in the middle and Sam noticed a violin and a cello in the corner. Jack was sitting in the chair behind the desk and looked up as they entered.

"Hullo, Miss, you must be Samantha."

Samantha immediately curtseyed. Jack smiled at her and nodded for Pullings to leave.

"I do hope you'll find your accommodations on this ship pleasant. You will have your own room, it is down this hallway and to the right. All you will need to do is bring tea and serve dinner. It is a possibility that you may need to help Dr. Maturin with his duties should the need arise. Will you be able to do that?"

"Yes, sir."

"There's no need for that. You may call me Jack."

She smiled and nodded at him.

"Personally, I require tea only in the morning. But Pullings tends to prefer a cup first thing in the morning and then a bit later, around eleven. The doctor prefers the same thing but he enjoys an extra cup in the evening. Just bring out the cream and sugar, they're both very finicky about that." He smiled again.

"Oh and a warning: the ship rocks back and forth, which you must already have figured out, and it can be a bit hard to carry the tea across the deck, especially when it's swarming with men. But Pullings and I will always be at the bow of the ship which is directly near the stairs and Maturin will be in his room usually so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Thank you, Captain…I mean, Jack."

He smiled at this. "Please go and make yourself comfortable. You will need to serve dinner at six-thirty but remember to make a plate for yourself first. The food is the only thing that tends to go before the wine in this ship."

Sam nodded and excused herself, walking out the door and into the hallway. She grabbed her father's old pocket watch from her bag and checked the time. It was only three o'clock which left her plenty of time to explore the ship.

Her room was small but comfortable, with a warm bed and a small nightstand, along with a desk and small armoire. She realized, a bit too late of course, that she didn't exactly have much to put in the armoire, since most of her dresses were long gone. Before she could sit and ponder this predicament, there was a light rapping at her door.

"Come in!" she called. Peter stepped through the door and she smiled at him.

"I hope this room works, Miss. And the captain told me to tell you that there are a few dresses for you in the armoire. He hopes you will like them. Also, once you get settled, if you like, I can give you a tour around the ship."

"I'd like that very much, Master Calamy." He blushed.

"Please, call me Peter."

"Then you must call me Samantha. No more of this 'Miss' business." He laughed.

"Of course, Samantha."

Okay, I hope that was an okay start. Like I said, first Master and Commander fic. So I hope you guys like it!! By the way, I need your help. Does anyone know what a good last name for this time period would be? Because I can't seem to find one. Anyways, Read and Review please!!


	2. Author's Note sorry!

Gah. I'm so sorry everyone. I know it's been WAY too long since I updated. I've just been really busy with school and everything. I'll try my hardest to update ASAP but it may take a little while. Please be patient with me. And I really hope you don't hate me!!!!!

-lilnewsie77


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